The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde on Monday urged France to accelerate structural reforms to revive sluggish growth and meet deficit target.

In an interview with the business daily, Les Echos, Lagrade warned French government of using poor inflation an excuse to relax efforts to lower the budget gap.

"There is a need to maintain a course of public spending cut. Even if inflation is weaker than expected, it cannot be used as a screen to postpone the necessary efforts of spending," The IMF director said.

Lagrade also stressed that the dim economic climate in France "should not justify new tax increases" and to "encourage it to tighten the tax system to achieve (its financial) goal."

As the Socialists slashed their 2014 growth forecast to 0.5 percent and set their deficit target initially at 3.8 percent, the former French finance minister urged the government to "truly, rapidly and fully implement structural reforms. Now it must deliver on its promises" to kick-start growth and put the country's finances in order.

Last year, the European Commission granted Paris extra time to rein in its finances and reduce its budget deficit to 3 percent of GDP by 2015 and zero percent after two years.

The French government consequently proposed a pact reform and package of savings, including freezing pensions and welfare benefits for a year and keeping most civil service pay frozen until 2017. Enditem

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